Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit. Bill Cosby

Baby Davy: a 3D ultrasound of our baby at only 12 weeks! Technology is amazing...

Monday, March 15, 2010

The World of Strollers and Car Seats

I guess you could say we're in a bit of an unusual situation. I'm finding that most pregnant couples I talk to or hear from are busy designing nurseries, researching and buying the best strollers, filling a very posh maternity clothing wardrobe, taking a babymoon and having very elegant baby showers. Not that any of that is a bad thing at all, it's just that Dan and I aren't really able to do any of that. I'd absolutely LOVE to design a very beautiful, exquisite nursery but we aren't even living in the house we'll rent once Baby comes! We agreed to housesit for a couple who are currently over in England until July. We're hoping to find a house to rent around the beginning of May and quickly move into it before baby comes. We'll still take care of our current house (and the dogs that come with the house!) until the owners return, but I do often daydream about my dream nursery and what it would look like. In any event, our baby's room is not going to be a perfectly designed, color coordinated, time and money invested nursery. In a perfect world it would be, but we really have made a lot of financial sacrifices to come to this country in the first place, and I think that, all things considered, Baby will be perfectly happy with the essentials only- a warm, safe, clean house and the constant devotion of two very excited parents! :)

Most of our baby supplies- stroller, crib, clothing, high chair, blankets, toys etc. have so far been given to us second hand for free or found at garage sales for pennies. It's not that we don't love our child to pieces already, but if an item is used but still perfectly functional and clean, why not? It's saving us thousands and I don't think Baby will a) remember, or b) know the difference. The only thing we've been told must be brand new is the mattress for the crib and bassinet. They say old foam in mattresses and padding can give off fumes which can damage the baby's respiratory system. So we ARE getting those new. But for us, we are not really concerned with getting the sleekest, most sought after stroller on the market. I think Baby will forgive us for not having the very best of everything, but rather saving for the future when expenses will be even greater.

I am getting by on a few very versatile maternity pieces and hoping these will last through subsequent pregnancies too! It's been quite an adventure trying to find affordable maternity clothes (no, I haven't gotten anything from garage sales) so I've been resorting to the Warehouse (New Zealand's "Walmart") for the items I've gotten. I have a pair of jeans, a sundress, a long, stretchy skirt, a couple of very "mom" workout pants, and a few tops. Most of my pre-pregnancy tops still fit if I do a bit of layering underneath. Hopefully that will be enough to get by- I've found that if you mix and match, you don't really need alot.

And, ok, I do admit, I guess you could say that Dan and I are actually attempting a little "babymoon" I suppose. This weekend we are going to the West Coast of New Zealand to see Milford Sound and Lake Te Anau. Milford Sound is one of the most breathtaking sights in the whole country- mountains, fiords, the Tasman Sea, waterfalls, wildlife, hiking, boat cruises, etc. Should be fun!

1 comment:

You're doing it the smart way. Baby things are mostly temporary anyway (depending on how many babies you have). The thing that matters the most is how much time you spend and how many memories you make with them.

Although we already know, we want you to guess! Is Baby Davy a:

About Us

In January 2008 Dan and Julie began dating. A couple of old romantics, it very quickly took on the appearance of an old-fashioned courtship and before too long, they realized their vocations to marriage had been found in each other. On May 18, the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, Dan proposed to Julie while hiking in the mountains in Maryland, and a year less two days later, on May 16, 2009 they were married!
After a honeymoon in Bermuda, they spent a very idyllic, happy summer in Maryland and then were off to Dunedin, New Zealand by September in hopes of a PhD for Dan by 2012. Within 3 weeks of arriving in their new land, they discovered some wonderful news! They were parents of a very small, growing human being whom they will be blessed to meet sometime around June 2, 2010. They can hardly wait.